


Why Did You Marry Me?

by Kasanra



Category: Imagine Me & You (2005)
Genre: Angst, Break Up, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-25
Updated: 2020-06-25
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:26:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 656
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24908353
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kasanra/pseuds/Kasanra
Summary: I married you because I love you.
Relationships: Heck & Rachel, Luce/Rachel
Comments: 1
Kudos: 16





	Why Did You Marry Me?

Rachel opened the door and found Heck on the other side. He was drunk. And sad. His clothing was disheveled and he was leaning heavily on the doorframe.

“Did you ever love me?” He bit his lip, shuddering. A tear went down his cheek. His eyes were red.

“Heck...” Rachel’s heart hurt. She pulled him inside and led him to the couch. “Of course I loved you. I still love you.” She sat him down and took off his shoes. He grabbed her hand.

“Why did you leave?” He swallowed. “Why wasn’t I-Couldn’t we have worked this out?”

“No.” Rachel sat down on the couch and Heck shifted to make room. They were pressed against each other with his arm around her back and her legs over his lap. She laid her head on his shoulder and held his hand. He pressed his cheek to the top of her head and tried not to cry.

“Why did you marry me?” Heck rasped.

“Are you sure you want an answer?” Rachel ran her thumb over his, a comforting gesture. “It won’t help.”

They sat in silence for a while. Rachel trying to soothe Heck. Finally, he nodded. She took a slow breath.

“I married you because I love you. Because when I pictured myself in five, ten, thirty years, you were always there. Because when I saw myself with child you were there. I saw a life with you in it, Heck. Always right beside me. Always smiling.” She squeezed his hand. “I thought; ‘I’m going to spend my life with this man.’ And I was  so happy. I thought that must be love. So when you asked me to marry you, I said yes.”

“Then why did...” he swallowed. “Why did you leave?”

“Because I fell in love,” she stated simply, turning his hand and gripping in between hers. She brought it to her mouth and kissed his knuckles. “I didn’t know that loving someone and being in love with them were two very different things. I thought I knew because I loved you in a way I didn’t love anyone else. I had different expectations with you.” Finally, for the first time since they sat down, she lifted her head and looked him in the eye. “I love you, Heck. But I fell in love with Luce.” She raised one hand and wiped his cheek. “I had probably walked by her so many times and never noticed. Yet the moment our eyes met, I knew her. Then, the moment was gone and I was lost. My world expanded when I met her. It grew around her. I started to see her everywhere and I still haven’t figured out how we never met. We shop at the same stores, walk the same streets, go to the same parks...” Rachel shook her head in disbelief. “I started to see her everywhere, in everything, and it wasn’t enough. I needed to see her more. To be closer. To know her every thought and feeling. Nothing was enough." She didn’t know when she looked away, lost in thoughts of Luce, but she had to look back up to meet Heck’s eyes. And that was pretty much what their marriage had become. “Heck... I finally knew what people meant when they spoke of butterflies and fireworks.”

“And you never felt that with me?” Heck asked. He already knew the answer but he needed to hear it from her.

“You were comfortable,” Rachel said. “Warm and comfortable like a hot chocolate on a cold day. Or a thick blanket in the middle of winter. My favourite scarf. If I hadn’t met Luce, I could have married you and been happy. But I did meet her. And I tried to stay away.” She swallowed. “I couldn’t. Just the thought...”

“I wish I was an asshole,” Heck muttered. He pulled Rachel close, comforting her even as he cried.

“I’m sorry, Heck.”

“I know.”


End file.
